Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - October 6, 2023

HOT

A Rhode Islander is Helping Pet Owners Who Struggle to Afford Food for Their Animals

Lex Fisher knows what it is like not to be able to afford food for her “fur family.”

Fisher, who grew up in Warren and now resides in Providence, says she has always been an animal lover, and she was deeply involved in the rescue world in Rhode Island nearly twenty years ago. 

Then, she said, she hit rough times. 

“Around 2008, my grandmother got really sick, and I almost dropped out of college,” said Fisher. “It was either school or [animal] rescue; I took care of my grandmother until 2018.”

Fisher continued with her studies and said she had gotten a job with Amazon — before getting hurt. 

“I was out of work for a year, and then it was COVID,” said Fisher. “I was faced with not being able to provide for my pets. I was destroyed. I looked for resources to help my animals and was shocked that I couldn’t find any.” 

“Luckily I had friends who helped pave the way. I never want to have someone in the position I was in,” said Fisher. “If I didn’t have the friends I had, I wouldn’t have made it.”

It was then, said Fisher, she knew she wanted — and needed — to help others like her, along with their pets. 

Read more here. 

PHOTO: Drew Perales, Unsplash

HOT

RI International Airport

Once again, Rhode Island International Airport scored another award.

This time, Condé Nast Traveler named PVD #3 in America.

See who we beat out, here. 

HOT

New CEO

Jaclyn Leibl-Cote named Collette Chief Executive Officer Family-Owned Tour Operator - First Female CEO in its 106 years

Collette, the Rhode Island-based global tour operator, announces the succession of Jaclyn Leibl-Cote to Chief Executive Officer of the organization, only the fourth CEO in the company’s 106-year history. She is the third generation of the Sullivan family to transition into the role, and the first female leader of the company. In this role, she will lead Collette’s Executive and Strategic Leadership Teams, driving both the global company’s strategic direction and its day-to-day operations with a laser focus on fulfilling the company’s mission of enhancing life’s journey by creating extraordinary travel experiences.

Current Collette CEO, Dan Sullivan, Jr. announced the promotion at a companywide meeting, sharing his excitement for the change of leadership and the company’s robust future. He will transition to the role of Executive Chairman, effective immediately, where he will act as an advisor to Leibl-Cote and the Executive Team on the company’s overall direction and long-term strategy.   

HOT

School Board Members

Two members of the Providence School Board are calling on the Attorney General's office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate the recent award of a $72 million contract by the Providence Public School Department (PPSD).

The contract was awarded under the direct supervision of the Rhode Island Department of Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green.

On Monday, GoLocal published a major report regarding the award of a $72 million bid to ABM for the Providence School's maintenance contract. ABM received a extra round to bid.

The two Providence School Board members -- Ty’Relle Stephens and Night Jean Muhingabo -- wrote in a letter to Christopher Wray, FBI Director and Peter Neronha, Attorney General, “During their investigation, GoLocalProv uncovered disturbing allegations that demand your immediate attention. Under the direct supervision of Rhode Island Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green, it has come to light that a convicted felon was appointed to oversee the bidding process for a contract exceeding $70 million. Furthermore, a clandestine payment of $3.2 million was made to an outgoing vendor, with indications of potential manipulation in favor of a company known for significant fines and settlements due to various violations. On Wednesday, October 4th, 2023, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley expressed his concerns to GoLocalProv, stating that Providence Schools' $72M Contract could be “potentially illegal."

On Wednesday, Smiley raised concerns about the bidding process.

“It is critical that the Providence Public School District address the allegation that the winning bidder had an opportunity to submit an additional proposal after the best and final offers were concluded,” said Smiley.

“I have repeatedly expressed my concerns about the lack of due diligence throughout this procurement process and this most recent allegation, if true, would be unfair and potentially illegal. It is my hope that the district will answer any unanswered questions and bring transparency to this process in order to restore the community’s trust,” Smiley added.

NOT

Brown Wins, Providence Taxpayers Lose

Under the new agreement approved by the Providence City Council, Brown University will pay on average $8.7 million a year to the city — in contrast to Yale, which paid $24.1 million in its most recent fiscal year to New Haven, a city with a population smaller than that of Providence. 

The deal is not only bad, it is bad for 20 years.

NOT

EXCLUSIVE: Fixed Bid, Convicted Felon, Secret $3.2M Payment — Infante-Green Directs $72M Contract

A three-month investigation by GoLocal has unveiled the Providence Public School Department (PPSD) — under the direct control of Rhode Island Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green — hired a convicted felon to oversee the bidding process for a $70 plus million contract, made a $3.2 million secret payment to an outgoing vendor, and rigged that $70 plus million annual contract to a company that has been fined — and has paid — hundreds of millions of dollars for settlements of violations. 

Providence schools are known nationally for failed academic performance. The takeover by state officials led by Infante-Green was designed to improve the quality of the education, improve schools, and clean up political influence. 

Starting in 2022, Infante-Green began her effort to replace long-time Providence School maintenance firm Aramark — a company that had held the contract for a decade.

Infante-Green made it clear to staff and others that she wanted Aramark out, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge.

Secret $3.2 Million Payment

As the contract was being directed to a new vendor, PPSD was paying off Aramark with a previously undisclosed multimillion-dollar payment.

As part of the scheme, Providence schools made a secret agreement with Aramark to end the contract early.

The secret agreement has not been publicly reported before this article. PPSD did not respond to GoLocal’s request for the document within the required ten days. GoLocal threatened to file a second Access to Public Records Act (APRA) violation lawsuit, and only then did PPSD turn over the agreement.

Presently, GoLocal has a pending lawsuit against Governor Dan Mckee and Infante-Green for the failure to produce hundreds of documents relating to the $70 million facilities management contract. 

The secret agreement between PPSD and Aramark states in part: “The Parties agree that they will not disclose the existence and terms of this Release) as well as the underlying circumstances leading to this Release. The Parties will only disclose information regarding this Release) and then only to the extent reasonably necessary, to their attorneys, financial advisors and tax advisors. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Parties may disclose information regarding this Release to other third parties only to the extent that such disclosure is required by applicable law."

READ MORE

NOT

The Republicans Are a Mess

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker. It's the first time in U.S. history that a speaker has been voted out.

Republicans joined with all Democrats in voting for a motion to vacate, forcing McCarthy to relinquish his post.

The outcome of the vote now places the House without a speaker.

Because there is no precedent for McCarthy’s removal it is not immediately clear what happens next.

There are no clear candidates to replace McCarthy.

McCarthy said he will not seek the Speakership again.

NOT

Troubling Winds Are Blowing

In July, Pennsylvania-owned Rhode Island Energy (RIE) rejected the bid by Ørsted and Eversource to build an offshore wind project that would generate 884 MW.

REI is owned by Pennsylvania, Power and Light (PPL).

Since then, a lot has happened. And none of it may be good for Rhode Island to generate energy from renewable sources.

A number of offshore wind projects in the region have unraveled, and then in August, the head of Ørsted North America reported that the company is reassessing its future in America.

On August 30, Ørsted announced it may see U.S. losses of $2.3 billion due to supply chain problems, soaring interest rates and a lack of new tax credits.

Orsted's share price tumbled 20%  after the announcement to its lowest level in more than four years and is down almost 70% from its 2021 peak.

"The situation in U.S. offshore wind is severe," Chief Executive Mads Nipper told reporters on a conference call.

Fast Forward a Month

On Thursday, Governor Dan McKee announced that the state, via REI was going out to bid again. This was a shift by McKee who, on July 27th on GoLocal LIVE, said he was looking to begin a multi-state initiative with Connecticut and Massachusetts.

REI gave a lukewarm statement about the rebid.

“Rhode Island has big clean energy aspirations and Rhode Island Energy is committed to helping achieve them,” said Dave Bonenberger, President of RIE. “This new procurement can help advance the state’s clean energy goals and support achievement of Rhode Island’s emissions-reduction targets. We look forward to seeing how offshore wind developers can balance those goals with affordability and wider economic benefits for the state.”

But Ørsted was more reserved about the news, and there is no guarantee that the Danish company or anyone else will bid to market conditions and regulatory obstacles/

David Ortiz, Ørsted’s Head of Government Affairs and Market Strategy for the Northeast, told GoLocal, “Ørsted evaluates all opportunities to expand our U.S.-leading offshore wind portfolio while creating good-paying local jobs and growing the U.S. supply chain.”

The reality is that Ørsted may look to bigger and more cost-efficient markets in New York or Massachusetts.

McKee is trying to create some optimism in a market that right now is facing tremendous obstacles.

“Offshore wind is critical in advancing Rhode Island’s 100 percent renewable energy standard and Act on Climate objectives,” said McKee. “It’s more important than ever that we continue to push for new opportunities to expand offshore wind generation in Rhode Island while ensuring it is affordable for future generations. Rhode Island Energy recognizes the need for urgency in bringing more renewables online and I’m appreciative of their efforts to get another offshore wind RFP released.”

NOT

Danger, Danger

NBC News Reports:

Last month shattered the record for the hottest September on record by such a wide margin that climate scientists say it was almost beyond belief.

The September milestone, reported in new data released late Wednesday by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, added to an alarming stretch of record-breaking global temperatures. During June, July and August, the planet had its hottest summer on record “by a large margin.”

September's temperatures have climate scientists even more stunned.

“This month was, in my professional opinion as a climate scientist — absolutely gobsmackingly bananas,” Zeke Hausfather, the climate research lead for the financial services company Stripe, wrote Tuesday on social media.